What MBA students can learn from infantry school

In many ways, the knowledge gleaned from four years of college does not compare to what a person can learn at infantry school, says successful Texas businessman David M. Smith.

“The Army provided me with more fun and interesting experiences and principles than college. I spent a lot of time in the company of officers and immersing myself in reading military classics,” said Smith, author of “The Texas Spirit.”

Smith says the following aphorism apply to both military and business endeavors.

Be prepared to use your last option to decimate an invader, but only if you must. Infantry officers call it the FPL – final protective line, which acts like an overdrive on a vehicle. An FPL uses all weaponry to fire at once, continuously firing down a single pre-planned, narrow lane. Depending on the stakes, parties at a business negotiation, for example, should know their FPL option.